ostrogoth

Free agent Byron Leftwich says he's lost 25 pounds and wants to join a team for training camp. His first Rotoworld post in 17 weeks. Dropping 25 lbs off his playing weight would put Leftwich at 6'5/225 and possibly enhance his mobility. Bears personnel director Bobby DePaul called Leftwich "an interesting guy," but the 28-year-old QB hasn't had so much as a free agent visit. Perhaps the Bears will give him a call if Kyle Orton doesn't separate himself this summer.

The Baltimore Sun reports that Jonathan Ogden is expected to announce his retirement in the coming week. The first ballot Hall of Famer has reportedly let people around him know he's retiring, but hasn't told Ravens coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens we're expecting him to return necessarily, but this is a massive blow to the entire Ravens offense, who loses its best player. He would look good in a Bears uniform, he's only 33.

Looking forward to it, pencil me in as well! Ostrogoth

Brian Urlacher will attend the Bears' mandatory three-day minicamp starting Friday, the linebacker told the Tribune Thursday evening. Urlacher, who has missed all of the team's voluntary off-season activities up to this point, had been lobbying for more money than the Bears offered in a one-year contract extension. The deal was believed to include $5 million up front, and $1 million added to his base salary per season granted he participated in 85 percent of the snaps. The extension through 2012 also was believed to include a base salary of $7.5 million in the last season. The Bears likely would reworked that if Urlacher is still active Urlacher signed a nine-year, $57 million deal in 2003 that included up to $19 million in bonuses. Although Urlacher will rejoin his teammates, his campaign for more money is unlikely to end. He isn't the only Bear looking for a new deal. Defensive tackle Tommie Harris and return special Devin Hester also are seeking new deals. Neither Harris nor Hester participated in a recent organized team activity session open to the media. Urlacher, who battled through an arthritic condition in his back last season, still leads the Bears in tackle with 123. He also led the team with five interceptions to go with five sacks.

Would things have played out differently if Ricky Williams had been on Cedric Benson's boat earlier this month? The Dolphins running back thinks so, and according to Williams, he was invited to go on board. Williams told the Austin American-Statesman for Thursday's editions that he declined an invitation from Benson to spend a Saturday on Benson's boat in Lake Travis, Texas. On May 3, Benson was charged with boating while intoxicated after failing a sobriety test and resisting arrest in an alleged struggle that required officers to use pepper spray before dragging him ashore. Williams told the American-Statesman that things would have played out differently if he had been on Benson's boat. "I think if I had come down, things might have worked out a little bit differently," Williams, who is entering the final year of his contract with the Dolphins, told the newspaper. "I find I have a calming influence on people I'm around. "As a high-level athlete, it's just something that's ingrained in me. I always think that if I'm there, things would be different. I can't say how." Probably cause everyone would have been so stoned on the Ganja, they couldn't move!!!

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sp...1,3766719.story

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/ for picture on boat New witness calls pepper spray 'ludicrous, no point for it' Often accused of being nonchalant in Chicago, Cedric Benson has been anything but laid-back trying to clear his name back home in Texas. Benson continued an aggressive approach to defending himself against charges of boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest by hiring a new attorney considered one of Austin's finest and most high-profile defense attorneys. Lawyer Sam Bassett already has interviewed 10 people who were on Benson's boat Saturday night when Benson was arrested on Lake Travis, outside Austin, and described, according to a Lower Colorado River Authority police report, as being cocky, combative and smelling of alcohol. Bassett has scheduled additional interviews. Bassett, perhaps best known in Austin for defending a man convicted last year of murdering Texas student Jennifer Cave in a case that drew national attention, takes over for Brian Carney. Carney has been a friend and ally of Benson's since high school but his office is in Benson's hometown of Midland, Texas--300 miles from Austin. "There is a lot of work left to be done and I am not privy to all information regarding the case at this juncture," Bassett said. "Cedric is interested in focusing on football right now and we will work hard for him while he prepares for the season." Benson faces a May 19 court date but can be represented by Bassett. That also is the first day of organized team activities at Halas Hall, an important step for a running back coming off ankle surgery fighting for the NFL life in Chicago--even before last weekend's arrest. Another eyewitness has emerged to support Benson's claim that he was mistreated. Toby Patch was at nearby Emerald Point Marina on Saturday night when he claims he saw police "manhandling" Benson after taking the running back off the boat and heading to a squad car. Patch was not one of the 15 people on the boat. "As they were taking him up the dock, they stopped, he said, 'I am fine, I can continue walking,' and they put their legs behind his knees and knocked him over his knees and started hog-carrying him," Patch told KXAN-TV in Austin. Near the parking area, Patch says the treatment of Benson worsened. "They ended up--I don't know why--but laid him on his back, I heard him say, 'Please don't pepper spray me, please don't pepper spray me,'" Patch said. "It was uncalled for, it was ludicrous, no point for it." Patch's version sounded similar to the account Benson friend Elizabeth Cartwright, who was on the boat, gave the Tribune on Tuesday night. Benson is back in Chicago and has not commented since proclaiming his innocence Sunday night and saying police mistreated him. He is considering a lawsuit

The TV crews camped out at Halas Hall awaiting the return of Cedric Benson, but the Bears’ running back did not meet his stated goal of rejoining the club’s offseason program today. Benson was absent for the voluntary workout program, a teammate said, missing for a second day after his arrest Saturday night on Lake Travis near Austin, Texas. Benson told the Sun-Times Sunday night that he expected to return to work Tuesday after tending to matters Monday in Texas. His participation in the workout program thus far has been spot on, the player said, and it’s expected Benson will return soon. Ever since signing, Benson has never been a problem when it comes to attendance. There are two more workout dates this week and Benson could use Friday as a make-up day if he chooses. Benson can miss only six days in the 40-day offseason program before forfeiting money. A clause in his contract stipulates that $400,000 of his signing bonus, which was $4 million, is workout pay. That $400,000 is spread out over four offseasons, so if he fails to meet the 85 percent required attendance (34 of 40 days) he has to repay the club $100,000. UPDATED: A team official said Benson did show up at Halas Hall today and has met with club officials. Whether or not it counts as participating for the day, we don't know.

Chicago Bears running back Cedric Benson had bloodshot eyes, a "strong" alcohol odor and slurred speech when stopped by authorities while boating last weekend on Lake Travis near Austin, Texas, according to a police report released Monday. Benson said he will fight the misdemeanor charges against him -- boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest. The former Texas Longhorn is scheduled to appear in court May 19. "There was no resistance on my part," Benson told the Chicago Tribune. "Was I drunk? No." He told the Chicago Sun-Times "there was alcohol on the boat and others were enjoying themselves, but I wasn't drunk." Sgt. Leonard Snyder, who sprayed and arrested Benson, wrote in his report that he believed Benson was intoxicated because he was "combative," "cocky," "insulting," and used "profanity," and at other times was "crying" and "cooperative." After failing sobriety tests applied by Snyder, who works with the Lower Colorado River Authority, Snyder wrote that Benson refused to come ashore for additional tests and "stood up from the position where I had him seated and suggested I could not tell him what to do." Upon telling Benson he was under arrest and about to be put in handcuffs, "I touched his body in an attempt to direct him and he presented himself in a very hostile way,'' Snyder wrote in the report. "Benson [5-foot-11, 220 pounds] is a very muscular person and easily capable of overpowering me. As I had exhausted all attempts to gain control of Benson, and been met with resistance and what I perceived as a threat, I administered pepper spray into Benson's face to gain control." Benson argued whether he would go to land for a follow-up field sobriety test and refused to put on a life jacket, and the officer had to use pepper spray to subdue him, the authority said. He refused to leave the officer's boat and had to be dragged to a car to be taken to the Travis County jail, the authority said. Attorney Brian Carney acknowledged his client owned the 30-foot boat, but he questioned whether Benson was behind the wheel -- police said there were 15 passengers -- and wondered why officers felt threatened. "Is he going to jump in the lake and swim away?" Carney said. "You just swim into the night? You start the boat and take him over there." Carney said Benson was "completely compliant" and even said "thank you very much" after he completed the sobriety test. He said Benson then told them he wanted to go back to his boat. Carney added Benson did nothing "aggressive" until after he was pepper sprayed, when he started screaming for his mother and the boat. He said officers threw his client to the ground and poured water on him to wash away the spray, causing Benson to choke.

ESPN and WIP radio host Anthony Gargano are reporting that detectives are investigating a shooting potentially involving Marvin Harrison. They are investigating whether Harrison was the shooter. Harrison owns a tavern called "Playmakers" in Philadelphia. Gargano claims Harrison and a bar patron got into an altercation there. As the fight ensued, gunfire was exchanged outside with the victim reportedly shot in the hand. Harrison, who owns 25 guns, reportedly acknowledged owning the type of gun that was used in the shooting. Harrison has met with detectives multiple times, and after initially denying the gun was in the area, now admits it's his gun, but says he wasn't the shooter. Gargano is the sole source here, but this sure looks ugly. No witnesses have come forward saying Harrison was the shooter, although Gargano claims they are coming. Harrison would still be at risk of arrest even if he wasn't the shooter. No charges have been filed. May. 2 - 4:02 pm et

The ESPN jock ask's Angelo about the ongoing dispute with Brian Urlacher "Is Brian Urlacher holding a gun to your head?" Angelo's response is, "if he is, it's filled with water." Sounds like Urlacher will just have to make do with what he's got!!

Bears signed Southern Illinois QB Nick Hill and Western Kentucky WR Curtis Hamilton. The Bills told Hill they'd take him with the No. 251 pick, but at the last minute went with CB Kennard Cox. Hill is a top-notch athlete and was an accurate passer at SIU. This is an ideal landing spot for the southpaw.

Benson will be an awful pricey back-up then!!

Bears GM Jerry Angelo considers second-round pick Matt Forte a "three-down back." Beware Cedric Benson, your job is in great danger. "I felt like our running game obviously was one of the weak spots on our football team," Angelo said, referring to last year. "He gives us a big back, a three down back." Forte is going to compete to start right away, and he just may be the favorite. Source: Chicago Sun Times

I would say no better than the last year of 9-7, unless we can score some points for once. Defense was horrible last year and I'm not sure they will be any better this year. Vikings have all pieces in place other than QB to be a force, already the best run D now adding a great pass rusher I'm not sure a split with them is likely.

Colin Cowheard thought the Tight End made our draft one of the top 3 of all teams. Said the guy is an awesome speciman, I'm not a big fan of Desmond Clark personally. Olson will be great if Grossman can get on the same page, Only Griese had chemistry with Olson last year.

Solid B in my opinion there were not many good QB'S to waste a pick on so I'm happy they stayed away from that area. Here's what Bears beat Writer has to say. Two character risks taken Sunday, defensive tackle Marcus Harrison of Arkansas and tight end Kellen Davis of Michigan State, also could cause some roster shuffling. But sketchy pasts that the Bears rationalized make any projections about those two murky. Uncharacteristic injury gambles on five of the 10 players taken on Day 2 tempered enthusiasm about their futures and added pressure on top picks Chris Williams and Matt Forte to make this the stellar draft class it could be. Of Sunday's batch of new Bears, Bennett, Steltz and Bowman represent the best bets to make a quick impact. Wide receiver Bennett, the Southeastern Conference career receptions leader from Vanderbilt, will force newcomer Lloyd to wow the Bears in training camp enough to justify keeping six wide receivers. It's difficult to see where Lloyd fits in now that Bennett has joined roster locks such as Marty Booker, Mark Bradley, Devin Hester and newly re-signed Rashied Davis. Safety Steltz, an interchangeable Cover-2 safety whom general manager Jerry Angelo believes can start, could supplant Archuleta on the depth chart if he fully recovers from a broken shoulder blade. Lovie Smith already committed to reinvesting hope in Mike Brown. Locks Brandon McGowan, Kevin Payne and Danieal Manning give the Bears five safeties in better stead with the team than Archuleta. Barring injury, can they afford to keep a sixth? Bears defensive coordinator Bob Babich raved just as much about Bowman, a cornerback with first-round talent limited by two knee injuries. But Babich stopped short of predicting he would start. Babich does expect Bowman to make an impact on special teams and provide depth at one of the outside corner spots. With Manning Jr. coming off a down year and the coaching staff losing confidence in him, the Bears could slide Trumaine McBride into Manning Jr.'s spot at nickel back if Bowman looks good enough to be a No. 2 corner. With Charles Tillman, Nathan Vasher, McBride, Bowman and special-teams standout Corey Graham giving the Bears five solid cornerbacks, Manning Jr. eventually could be the odd man out. Speaking of odd, it was unusual to see the Bears take two players who dropped into lower rounds because of legal problems, given what Angelo had identified as an emphasis on character. Angelo volunteered at the NFL combine in February that his personal research had convinced him to start placing a higher priority on past bad behavior as a predictor of future problems. Then the Bears contradicted that thinking by taking Harrison and Davis, who are on a first-name basis with their local probation officers. Of all the mixed signals the Bears sent before this draft, this was the biggest. Their justification: Players passed over because of troubled pasts will feel more beholden to the team that gives them a chance and toe the line — in theory. "We're in business to win football games, [but] we're not going to prostitute character," Angelo said. "We don't put winning in front of character. We did eons of work on these kids. We missed [in 2004] on Tank [Johnson]. We made a mistake, but I'm not going to let [that] interrupt how we do business." Angelo also gambled on players with injury histories more than one would expect from a GM with a reputation for avoiding high-risk prospects. He allowed first-round potential to trump other concerns that caused their draft-day descents. If Harrison, Steltz or Bowman becomes injury-prone or has his development delayed by injury, the Bears cannot say they weren't warned. Steltz, for example, hasn't delivered a hit since suffering a hairline fracture of his shoulder blade in the BCS championship game and is not yet 100 percent.

Pro Football Weekly is hearing that the Saints and Giants may already have a deal in place that would send Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans. PFW isn't the greatest source, but ESPN's Chris Mortensen says he's heard similar rumors. Pro Football Weekly says the deal would send "multiple picks" to New York, including the Saints' second-round pick (No. 40 overall). An NFL source tells Profootballtalk.com that Shockey hasn't heard a trade is done

Prospective Draft Weekend Developments to Watch for 1. Rams send their second-round pick (No. 33 overall) to Eagles for Lito Sheppard. 2. Using Jason Taylor and another pick, Dolphins move back into last half of the first round for Chad Henne. 3. Ravens sit tight and still get Matty Ice. 4. Fabian Washington goes to the Browns for a fifth-round pick. 5. Kevin Boss is still Jeremy Shockey's backup on April 28. 6. Packers acquire Charlie Whitehurst to be Aaron Rodgers' backup for a fourth-round pick. 7. Broncos draft Jalen Parmele at some point on the draft's second day. 8. Roy Williams is still a Lion and Chad Johnson is still a Bengal late Sunday night, but Anquan Boldin is traded to Dallas. 9. Matt Forte becomes the favorite to start at running back in Chicago when he's made the Bears' second-round pick (No. 44 overall). 10. Tim "Tom" Tebow is not the Chiefs' first-round pick.

Not sure if the Broncos will go with an "o' lineman at 12 but I don't think they have any more faith in Travis Henry than we do in Benson. They may also be in the market for Mendenhall.

The Bengals had Derrick Harvey as "their guy" at No. 9 as of late this week, but have since changed to Sedrick Ellis, according to FOXSports' Jay Glazer. Maybe the Dewayne Robertson trade to Denver changed Cincinnati's mind. Of course, this is just more pre-draft chatter to take with a grain of salt. Glazer notes that the Bengals "also like (Illinois RB) Rashard Mendenhall."

1..Jake Long 2.Chris Long 3.Glen Dorsey 4.Vernon Gholston 5.Sedrick Ellis 6.Darren McFadden 7.Branden Albert 8.Matt Ryan 9.Leodis McKelvin 10.Keith Rivers 11.Devin Thomas 12.Ryan Clady 13. Derrick Harvey 14.Rashard Mendenhall

The Titans have reportedly agreed in principle to send suspended CB Pacman Jones to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2008 fourth-round pick. The Titans will also get a 2009 pick if Jones is reinstated and plays this season. That seems unlikely, but the Cowboys are willing to risk that on a supremely talented player. If Jones stays suspended, the Titans will send Dallas a 2009 pick. It's believed that team already has a new contract for Jones in place

I live nearby so that maybe an option. Never heard of this pizza place or saw any reviews so I hope your right. As for Deep Dish style most people say the BEST is at Wyman's No. 5 2033 E 13th Ave. 303-996-0842. Noon to 2 a.m. daily Aurellio's used to have a location in Parker, I only eat the thin crust there. My name is Kevin and I will see you PARKER BEAR there for the Bears 1st pick.

NBCSports.com's Tom Curran reports the Dolphins are nearing a contract agreement with Michigan OT Jake Long. The deal would make Long the No. 1 overall pick. The Dolphins began talks with Long's agent, Tom Condon, two weeks ago and never engaged in serious deliberations with any other player. Curran writes that with Long off the board, St. Louis is "a lock" to use the No. 2 pick on a defensive player. UVA DE Chris Long is reportedly "very confident" he'll be the Rams' choice